


Bits and Pieces

by KnightHowl



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Non-Canon Origin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-10
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2017-12-28 23:26:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/998164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightHowl/pseuds/KnightHowl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snippets from A Different Breed that didn't quite make it into the story or scenes retold from another character's point of view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Recruit - Alistair's POV

The woman leaning against the pillar reminded him of a cat - and not the fat, docile type that nobles kept as pets. No, this woman was the half-feral sort that kept to the shadows and came fully equipped with a wicked set of claws.

She watched him with wary grey eyes, her arms folded beneath her chest and her mouth set in a hard line. Her posture was deceptively relaxed; like the cats she resembled, she seemed ready to bolt at the first sign of anything unfavorable.

"Would you happen to be Alistair?" she asked. Her voice was middling low for a woman and, curiously, completely devoid of a regional or class-affected accent. If he had to assign some sort of origin or type to her speech, he would guess well-educated based on her crisp pronunciation and brisk manner of speaking. 

"Yes, and who might you be?"

She seemed to consider his question for a moment before replying. “My name is Kitra.”

Kitra? He had never heard of her, or, for that matter, seen her before now that he thought about it. He would probably remember a woman with her distinctive appearance. Her skin was a light brown and her hair was dark and messy, cropped short in what he could only assume was an attempt to alleviate some of the mess. Her eyes, as he had noted before, were storm cloud grey and set in a face scattered with small scars. She was an inch or two taller than he was, if he had to guess, and clad in a shirt, trousers, and boots that had all seen better days.

"Are you the new recruit from Highever?" It seemed the only logical assumption he could make. He had heard that Duncan had returned from his journey north in search of a new recruit for the Wardens.

The woman, Kitra, shook her head. “I am not from Highever, but suppose I am the new recruit.”


	2. Interlude - Chapters 27 & 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place between chapters 27 and 28 of A Different Breed. It was written on the side and left nearly forgotten in my tumblr drafts.

Considering their business concluded, Kitra turned and swiftly left the castle. She had things to attend to, like her broken, bleeding arm and her rapidly mounting exhaustion headache.

Startled declarations and questions followed, but she didn’t pay them any mind as she walked away. Similarly, she ignored the villagers who tried to speak with her as she entered Redcliffe proper. 

She grabbed her pack from its hiding place and set off, leaving in her wake even more curiosity. She would let her companions answer questions. Kitra didn’t have the patience for it.

Outside of the village, Kitra walked until she came to a stream of suitable depth and flow. She set down her pack before seating herself next to it, where she began to remove her armor. 

Every slight jostle of her injured arm while she worked at the buckles of her vambrace caused her to wince or hiss through her teeth in pain. Once it was off, she set it aside and began to awkwardly undo the rest of her armor with her good arm. The task took longer than she would have liked, but eventually it was done and she was seated next to a pile of dirty armor and her belt and boots.

With her armor removed, she eased herself into the stream, not particularly caring that her clothes were getting soaked through. They were as dirty as the armor anyway.

For a while she just sat, letting herself relax at the feel of running water and the sounds of the woods. It eased her headache, but only slightly. 

Eventually she tugged off her clothes and tossed them near her other things for a more thorough cleaning later. From her bag she removed soap and a rag - it was her turn for a thorough cleaning. 

Her hair was the first to get washed. Kitra attacked the short curls with soap and didn’t relent until the resulting suds was no longer grimy. The rest of her body got a similar treatment, although she was more gentle to the bruised and broken areas.

Once her person was taken care of, she took each piece of clothing one at a time and scrubbed it until most of the assorted stains were faded sufficiently or completely removed. When the task was completed, she exited the stream to hang her clothes over a tree branch and take inventory of her various injuries. 

Her left arm had taken the worst of it - two cuts from blades and a break from the mishandling of a shield. Using some of her remaining power, she set the bone properly so that it would heal evenly until she was able to take care of it with her magic later. An inventory of her ribs showed no full breaks, but a few cracks and a lot of bruising from a shield bash. Everything else was comparatively minor and could be fixed with healing salve and rest.

After applying salve to her wounds, she collected her things and set out in search of a quiet place to sleep.


End file.
